1. Lumber: US$449, down 10% in a month
Madison's Lumber Reporter, a trade price service that tracks North American softwood lumber, published its index on November 6: US$449 per thousand board feet for the week ending November 6, 2026. That is US$10 (2%) less than the week before and US$50 (10%) less than a month earlier, when it was US$499.
In its market report of November 10, Madison's gave a common framing item for the week ending October 30: Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2x4 #2&Btr KD was US$405 per thousand board feet, down US$49 (11%) in one week and US$33 (7%) below the same week last year. Madison's described a "wait-and-see" market: suppliers tried to hold their quotes while prices slipped, rumors of sawmill cutbacks did not bring buyers back, and many buyers waited longer for deliveries.
These are wholesale prices that lumber yards and dealers pay, not the price on your yard ticket. Retail follows later and not always fully. The duties on Canadian lumber have not changed since the cut in October (see our October 20 note), so this drop comes from weak demand, not from a new tariff decision.
Why a small contractor should care
Framing lumber, studs, joists and deck boards are a large share of a deck, an addition or a framing job. If your yard still quotes September prices, you may be pricing jobs above what the market now pays, or giving up margin you could keep.
What to do this week
- 01Ask your lumber yard for a fresh quote on the 5 to 10 items you buy most, and ask directly whether their price has followed the drop.
- 02For winter and spring decks and additions, compare that quote with what is in your estimates. If it is lower, decide whether to keep the margin or use it to close an unsigned estimate with a client who is still thinking.
- 03Do not promise clients lower prices ahead of time. Wholesale prices can turn back up fast if sawmills cut production.
Where WorkTime CRM helps with this
Your own prices live in the Pricebook: change a lumber line once and new estimates use it. How long a sent price holds is set in Settings → Estimate Design ("Price is guaranteed for N days", 30 by default); the client sees the countdown on the signing page.
Comments